Getting a Faculty Job

‘Tis the season for academic faculty job searches. From summer until late fall, the bulk of faculty jobs are accepting applications to fill positions that begin in the fall of the following year. If you are considering this route, here are some things you need to think about:

What kind of school do you want to be at?
Do you want to be at a large research university (like Columbia University in NYC), a state school that terminates in a master’s program (like Eastern Michigan University), or a liberal arts environment (like Swarthmore College). Each of these types of institutions has different expectations regarding the amount of teaching and research expected from faculty. Different institutions/schools have different expectations for grant funding, teaching, and service. Be sure to consider the type of position you are looking for so you can prepare the strongest possible package.Another question to consider: does the location and setting (urban/suburban) matter to you? To research schools, look at the Carnegie Classifications.

Start to prepare your job application package.
a. CV – a record of your academic career. Your CV will be tailored differently if it is a research-intensive position or if it is a teaching-intensive position.b. Cover Letter – This is a document that is very tailored to the job for which you are applying. This document allows you to explain why you are interested in this particular college, and how you see your research goals fitting into their overall department.

c. Research Plan – The goal here is to get your future colleagues to be excited about you and your science. This document typically includes some discussion of prior research accomplishments, but you should specifically highlight the work most relevant to your proposed work. You need to lay out a do-able research plan for the next 5+ years with a focus on explaining how the work you are currently proposing fits into your broader long-term goals. Depending on the position, you may want to explain how you will tailor your research for students at the institution; this is especially important if the expectation is that you will engage large numbers of undergrads in your research.

d. Teaching Plan – If you will have a teaching component of your job, this part of your application tells them about your personal beliefs on teaching and gives a description of how you teach. It should have specific examples and reflect that you understand the student population at that specific institution.

e. Letters of recommendation – You should start to line your letters up early. They need to be very strong.

In this tight academic job market, one major key to success is preparation. You need to be sure you have your papers published, that you have obtained the appropriate amount of teaching experience, and that you have researched the institution to be sure it is the right fit. Starting early and getting a lot of input is key. If you are an NIH trainee (or local to the DC area) join us for the first of our series on securing a faculty job on Aug 28: Academic Job Search. If you cannot make this event, watch our videos online: Academic Job Search Overview.